What do you have in your Grab Bag

[Hightower]

Originally Posted by tonymac

You guys are all great! What a lot of stuff in a grab bag! I note also that all previous posts are from ribbers with boats of 6.6m upwards! Where do any of the rest of you put this stuff in a 5.5m rib or smaller? Is there room for all of you on the boat also?

I have a vision of said grab-bag
a) drowning you due to the weight
b) giving you food poisoning due to out of date marathon/snickers stuff
c) giving you a bad burn as the matches set the flares off
d) getting throttled by Codsprawn as he comes out of the picture and grips your throat
e) getting muscle fatigue from all the winding up you are doing on the damn phone!

If the conditions are bad, I always take my phone out the glovebox and put my phone in a waterproof pouch and hang it around my neck. The waterproof handheld VHF gets the same treatment and gets clipped to my lifejacket. I don't carry personnal flares, but if you do then these can be clipped to the body somewhere. There are other things you could carry either on ones body or in a bag, but I doubt that either they would be much use or you would need them in normal boating activities. A mars bar in the pocket might be nice however!

[Ian M]

Originally Posted by Hightower

A mars bar in the pocket might be nice however!

Even better if you eat it

[JABS]

I always have freezer bags in mine. You never know what they can be used for.

[Siochair]

What about keeping everything in one of these? http://www.militaryandoutdoor.co.uk/...oducts_id=1388

Supposing it's big enough for some of the loads listed

[chewy]

VHF,
Pen flares,
Seamarker,
Mobile,

Thats my lot. I don't venture too far. Outside of the waterproof case usually have a couple of bottle of water and a mars bar, flask of coffee etc!

Can't belive more people don't use these:

http://shop.lifejackets.co.uk/acatal...arker_dye.html

Mine was left over from when I used to dive.

[biffer]

i've just decide to throw my grab bag away,,, i'm going to have a grab rib that i tow behind the other one and maybe another one behind that just to be safe

[BruceB]

I just have two large waterproof flare containers under the front seat one of which has all the "safety" and other kit in it. Don't really see the point of carrying another bag with even more kit.
Some of the stuff quoted doesn't seem very useful in coastal waters IMO, that is we are unlikely to be marooned on a desert island for a long time.
We carry on our lifejackets or in the pockets of the flotation suit a GPS EPIRB, waterproof VHF, spray hoods and lights. Apart from a knife I can think of much else except maybe a personal flare that would be of much utility.
There are plenty of emergency flares and safety items (including a lighter ) in the safety box mentioned.
My intention would be to stay with the boat, if I have left then it is either we have been thrown out by hitting something or the boat is on fire. In either case it seems unlikely we would have time to collect anything even from under a seat.
In an emergency we would use the kit on the boat, if in the sea with little warning the priority is staying warm and calling for help, both of which are taken care of by the kit carried on our persons

[chewy]

Always step upto not down to a life raft!

[m chappelow]

Think the main concept of the grab bag was the offshore yachting ,aircraft ditching ,fishing boat having to abandon to the liferaft and taking the extras with them which maybe other wise in a locker in the wheelhouse or below decks,though i would always advise some sort of grab bag /container .unless you are on an upturned boat or made it to some remote landfall or shoreline your not going to do much hanging from a lifejacket in a cold lumpy sea even if in a dry suit ,ok let of flares .vhf radio ,and have a chomp at the marasniker choc bar , even blow your whistle , but first aid bandaging will be a soggy mess unless you have some gaffa tape or insulating tape with you .,i know anything can happen at sea with but with most ribs the thing shouldent sink the risk of a fire in the galley is going to be minimal and its not that often engines get on fire ,. most of the people that i have spoken to that have suddenly found themselves taking to the water even with a lifejacket on said just having something to hold was a big moral booster like a lifebelt so a grab bag even minus its contents may help .

[willk]

Originally Posted by BruceB

We carry on our lifejackets or in the pockets of the flotation suit a GPS EPIRB, waterproof VHF, spray hoods and lights. Apart from a knife I can think of much else except maybe a personal flare that would be of much utility.

That's me:
Flotation suit c/w BFO knife, LED divers torch, VHF + fist mic at neck), Phone in (YES!) a freezer bag. There's always a Marasnickers in there anyway. McMurdo Fastfind 210 to be added ASAP, now that they cost £250. All this in case the boat and I part ways. The rest of the crap is in the flare box. On this note - anyone got any thoughts on the 210's? They look like a novelty item but I suspect otherwise....

[Mollers]

Is such a bag not known as a 'ditch bag'?

[BruceB]

Originally Posted by willk

That's me:
Flotation suit c/w BFO knife, LED divers torch, VHF + fist mic at neck), Phone in (YES!) a freezer bag. There's always a Marasnickers in there anyway. McMurdo Fastfind 210 to be added ASAP, now that they cost £250. All this in case the boat and I part ways. The rest of the crap is in the flare box. On this note - anyone got any thoughts on the 210's? They look like a novelty item but I suspect otherwise....

jgtech has GPS epirbs from £230 upwards

[K&S]

We went shopping the otherday for some new waterski kit and this company do a rather well priced Grab Bag in yellow and red.




http://www.ewetsuits.com/acatalog/dr...d-bags-uk.html

[martini]

FYI I've just posted a ACR Rapid ditch Bag for sale in bits and pieces

http://www.acrelectronics.com/product2.aspx?sku=2272

[osprey__viper]

Given that MOST of you go boating in the solent, do you really need all that.

Given that the Solent is busier than the M25 at rush hour

[chewy]

Originally Posted by osprey__viper

Given that MOST of you go boating in the solent, do you really need all that.

Given that the Solent is busier than the M25 at rush hour

Isn't that a reason to carry more gear in case you get run down like the Yacht Ouzo.

[bedajim]

Originally Posted by osprey__viper

Given that MOST of you go boating in the solent, do you really need all that.

Given that the Solent is busier than the M25 at rush hour

[osprey__viper]

Originally Posted by chewy

Isn't that a reason to carry more gear in case you get run down like the Yacht Ouzo.

Oh yer, silly me. I forgot how "offshore" the solent is

[chewy]

It was only ten miles off the IOW, if they are more boats about surely your more likely to have an accident as someone could hit you or am I missing something?

[Hightower]

Lets use our common sence here gents.

Yes the Solent can be hazerdous, it can get foggy, blow up a hoolie and not be a very nice place. Throw into the mix a failed engine or something and people can lose lives like any other coastal area. The Solent can be a very lonely place even if it is considered to be busy most times. At least you're within easy contact with the services.

But 2 litres of water rations, EPIRBs, liferafts etc etc aren't really needed in day to day cruising around these areas, but if you want to carry these items that's fine.

Doing some cross Channel cruising, I would suggest safety in numbers as the biggest safety factor for the rare trip. However if you do this regularly by yourself then EPIRBs etc would be a wise choice IMHO .

It's really all about risk assesment. You can never have enough gear on board.